On the first day of Christmas my true love sent to me, a partridge in a pear tree! Partridges have a lovely delicate, subtle taste, which isn’t too strong and gamey as some other birds can be.
Ingredients
2 small partridges
2 fresh bay leaves
Small handful fresh thyme
30g butter, softened, plus 15g extra for the sauce
4 streaky bacon rashers, cut into halve widthways
6 shallots
1 tbsp olive oil
300ml red wine
200ml chicken stock
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
Cooking Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 220°C/fan 200°C/gas 7. Season the partridges’ cavities with salt and black pepper, Add a bay leaf and half of the thyme into each one. and pop a bay leaf and half the thyme in each one. Rub the skin of each partridge with the 30g of softened butter and season with salt and pepper . Lay the bacon over the top of the birds and put in a small roasting tin.
- Add the whole shallots and the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and fry for 6-8 minutes until just golden. Spoon the shallots around the birds in the tin, pour in 200ml of wine and a splash of water and cover with foi;.Cook for 25 minutes.
- After 25 minutes, remove the foil, place the bacon on a small baking sheet and roast the birds and bacon for a further 10 minutes, until the partridges are golden brown and the bacon is crisp.
- .Remove the birds from the tin onto a warm serving plate with the bacon, cover with foil and leave to rest for 5 minutes.
- Place the roasting tin on the hob over a high heat, add the rest of the wine, stir and bring to the boil for a few minutes. Add the chicken stock and simmer for a further few minutes. Add the balsamic vinegar and the remaining 15g of butter, whisk well and season with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer until the sauce has thickened slightly.
- Place each partridge on a plate and lay the crispy bacon on top. Serve with the sauce drizzled over the top and some fresh winter vegetables.
Kumud Gandhi is a Nutritional Food Scientist bestselling Author, Broadcaster, and Keynote Speaker on the subject of nutritional health for productivity & performance in the workplace. In 2010 Kumud founded ‘The Cooking Academy’ a cookery school that focusses on cooking for nutritional health and wellbeing. Kumud regularly presents to international audiences on a variety of topics such as ‘Eating for Immunity and a Lifetime of Wellness’. She is an expert in the field of Wellness in the Workplace and works with organizations to create transformational change in employee health & well-being through nutrition and health coaching.
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